Shrewsbury vs Stoke City Predictions

Shrewsbury come into this fixture without a win in three, but they’ve not performed badly during that time. Their draw away against promotion chasers Sunderland last weekend proved that they can compete against a decent outfit, so Sam Rickett’s men may fancy themselves to upset a Championship side that is also without a win in three.

The fact that Shrewsbury were not able to get the better of Fleetwood on Tuesday, who once again offered very little going forward, was disappointing, but manager Sam Rickett’s won’t be disappointed with how his team played. The Shrews dominated the game, gave very little away and created more than their opponents. If they continue to do that, then they’re likely to pick up plenty of positive results.

Stoke are operating at the level above Shrewsbury, though the hosts aren’t likely to show any fear on Saturday. The visitors have not been great away from home this season, while the hosts know that they’re capable of both hurting and frustrating teams at New Meadow, which is where they’ve been at their best this season. In League One the hosts are currently averaging 1.54 expected goals for at home, while they’re giving up just 0.87 at the other end. What’s more, they’ve kept a clean sheet in 46% of their matches in front of a home crowd. They’ve also gone six games without a loss on their own patch, four of which they’ve won.

In contrast, Stoke have failed to win any of their last five on the road in the Championship, and while they’re operating at a higher level, their recent performances don’t exactly suggest that they’ll go to New Meadow and walk all over the Shrews. Stoke have now failed to score in three of their last five on the road, while they’ve often failed to get seriously threatening when playing on their travels this season. At present, the Potters are averaging just 1.16 expected goals away from home, while they’ve given up an average of 1.55 at the other end. Such numbers won’t fill the hosts with fear ahead of this one, that’s for sure.

Last time out on their travels, against a poor Bolton side, Stoke failed to find the net, while they created very little in terms of scoring opportunities, as the fact that they recorded a measly total of 0.38 expected goals suggests. That performance suggests that an organised side such as Shrewsbury can certainly get competitive in this fixture.

The early betting has Stoke as big favourites ahead of Saturday’s game, though it’s easy to disagree with that. Shrewsbury are very hard to pass on their own patch, while the visitors have struggled on the road of late. All things considered, a bet on the hosts to avoid defeat stands out at the prices.